1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to burrowing vermin extermination devices and more particularly, to an extermination device which is removably or otherwise engageable to an internal combustion engine for employment of heat and exhaust gasses communicated therefrom, to a burrow as an economical and efficient means for burrowing pest extermination.
2. Prior Art
There are many types of burrowing pests which dig and occupy tunnels and burrows. While decades in the past, such animals often had their populations naturally controlled by predators, modernly they have adapted to live and burrow in areas where few such predators exist. The result has been an explosion in the population and problems associated with such burrowing animals. Gophers are a well known burrowing pest and are similar to most such animals. The term gopher as it is commonly used does not relate to any one species, but is a generic term used to describe any of several small burrowing rodents endemic to North America, including the pocket gopher (family Geomyidae), also called true gophers, and the ground squirrel, including Richardson's ground squirrel and the species of prairie dog.
Gophers in this group of burrowing animals can vary in size and often weigh around 0.5 pounds (230 g), and are about 15 inches (38 cm) long in body length, with a tail 7 inches (18 cm) long. They are well adapted to living underground in tunnels.
Consequently, gophers and similar burrowing vermin dig tunnels and subterranean chambers, and are associated with the rodent order. There are over one hundred kinds of gophers in America which because of their burrowing, can disrupt human plans like commercial agriculture, garden plots, landscaping, and even underground cables. Their penchant for digging and their exploding population caused by lack of predators, has led to their frequent treatment as pests.
Gophers create a large community of tunnels with large mounds of dirt and rocks at their entrances, sometimes referred to as gopher towns. In some species, burrowing rodents will frequently stand watch at the entrance to a tunnel and whistle when predators are spotted, causing all the other gophers to run for the safety of the tunnels. A gopher town can easily spread to take over large sections of yards, gardens, and meadows, and may have a population from dozens to hundreds depending on the territory. The resulting destruction of plant life will then leave the area a stretch of denuded dirt.
As a consequence of the exploding populations, many exterminating techniques for burrowing vermin such as gophers have evolved. Many modern techniques involve the application of poisonous chemicals, smoke, or gasses being introduced into the burrow in efforts to kill the inhabitants. U.S. Pat. No. 5,548,921 to Kleisath teaches a method and apparatus for gassing gophers, comprising a device for introducing dry chlorine material and water into a burrow. The combination of dry chlorine and water produces chlorine gas for effective poisoning of the gopher. However, for the average consumer, the use and handling of poisonous materials may not be desirable, especially if they have children. Further, the employment of such chemicals often leaves residual toxins in the soil long after use.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,249,437 to Stout teaches a method and apparatus for exterminating burrowing pests where a first agent is introduced into the burrow to destabilize the pest, followed by a second agent for killing them. The method of Stout effectively administers a lethal dose of poison before the animal can escape or hide within the burrow. Although providing an effective means to exterminate burrowing pests, the method and apparatus does not seem economically viable for the average consumer.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,829,706 to Perry teaches an apparatus for introducing the poisonous exhaust gasses of a two cycle engine into a burrow. The device includes a bowl shaped exhaust shroud for placing over a burrow entrance and directing the exhaust gasses. However, the smoke produced and level of toxicity of the exhaust gasses is limited to what the engine can burn and may not be suitable for reliable extermination.
As such there is a continuing and unmet need for an improved device for directing communicating gasses under pressure into the long tunnels of a burrow. In order to eliminate the need to purchase specialized equipment, such a device should be easily engageable to a conventional internal combustion engine through a communication with the exhaust pipe, stand alone small engine or employing in combination with a car, or motorcycle, or other wheeled vehicle having an internal combustion engine. Such a device would be rendered portable and easily positionable for communication of heated gas to burrow entry points.